Flight Tickets
Introduction South America is the other side of the globe from Singapore, and is not only far away, but with few direct connections. Singapore Airlines has a service from Singapore to São Paulo via Barcelona. Even if you plan a simple trip, the sheer size of South America would suggest that you would probably take a flight or two, at the very least. Route Options The airline to fly will depend on the planned entry and exit points in South America. Open-jaw tickets are available, but usually involve ticketing across airline alliances. The shortest routes are those that go via the South, either via South Africa or Oceania. Qantas, flying via Sydney into Santiago is one of the few single-airline options. LAN Airlines flies to Santiago from Sydney and Auckland, offering another [http://www.oneworld.com 'one'world] partner route. [http://www.oneworld.com 'one'world] travellers not wanting to fly on Qantas can fly British Airways to Sydney and connecting with LAN Airlines to Santiago. Also, from October 2013, Qatar Airways joins [http://www.oneworld.com 'one'world], and flies to Buenos Aires and São Paulo via Doha. South African Airways flies to both Buenos Aires and São Paulo from Johannesburg, offering a Star Alliance partner route. Star Alliance passengers can fly Singapore Airlines to Johannesburg and connect with South African Airways into Buenos Aires or São Paulo. Emirates flies to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires via Dubai. However, their lack of membership in an airline alliance make their flights also less flexible. Flying via Europe or the United States may be longer, but opens up many other options. Paris, Frankfurt, London and Madrid all have good connections into the continent, while Miami, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth have multiple connections into South America. Single airline connections into South America via Europe include: Lufthansa to Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá and Caracas via Frankfurt or São Paulo via Munich; Air France to Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Bogotá, Lima, Caracas and Cayenne via Paris; British Airways to Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro via London; and KLM to Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Lima, Quito, Guayaquil and Paramaribo via Amsterdam. Air France and KLM are part of Skyteam that lack a South American partner, which makes flying with them less flexible. Delta Air Lines flies from Singapore to Narita and onward to their main hub in Atlanta, where there are flights to Buenos Aires, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santiago, Bogotá, Quito, Lima and Caracas. United Airlines flies from Singapore to Narita, and then to Houston, where there are connections to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima, Quito and Bogotá. From Washington-Dulles via Narita, there are flights to Buenos Aires and São Paulo. From Newark via Narita, there are flights to Lima, Bogotá and São Paulo. Round the World Fares Considering the number of connections and distance travelled, travellers may want to consider a Round-the-World ticket, which are offered by many airlines as well as alliances. [http://www.oneworld.com 'one'world]'s Round-the-World fare is based on the number of continents visited, while Star Alliance's Round the World fare is based on distance covered. Skyteam also offer Round the World fares based on distance, but is much less useful in South America, due to the limited coverage. Do not forget that prices for Round the World fares do not include taxes, which can provide a deceptive indication of costs, especially with the current state of fuel surcharges. Airline Alliances The Star Alliance has its strength from Singapore, since Singapore Airlines is a partner of the alliance. However, Avianca TACA's strength is in the Northwestern corner of the continent. [http://www.oneworld.com/ 'one'world]'s strength lies in LAN Airlines which operates in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru, and TAM Airlines covering the Brazilian destinations. This puts them at a better position for those who want to fly around various destinations in South America. Air Passes Partly due to the large distances involved, flying point to point in South America can be prohibitively expensive. This is especially so when flying from the West Coast to the East Coast (such as from Santiago to Buenos Aires) or from North to South (Quito to Santiago). Air passes can offer a good way of saving money, especially on the one-way flights. Do note that many air passes require them to be bought outside the country of travel, and often to be bought with the original inbound flight ticket. Some also have a cap of a 30 day validity. If flying extensively, the most attractive air pass is the South American Airpass offered by LAN Airlines to passengers residing outside South America. Note that there are two price tiers, with those flying LAN Airlines into South America, paying a lower price for tickets than those flying by other carriers. Another alternative to explore is the [http://www.oneworld.com 'one'world] Visit South America Airpass. Confusing as it may seem, these are different programmes with different pricing structures, so do examine which gives you a better deal (depends on routes). TAM Airlines also offers a South America Air Pass, as well as a Brazil Air Pass. Aerolíneas Argentinas offers their variation of the South American Pass, but its limited network limits its true utility. More useful is the Visit Argentina Airpass featuring the network of Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral.